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582 MODERN TIMES.
conferred by the medical faculties : it constituted little m
than a barren title, and was consequently not sought after
by many practitioners.
In the kingdom of Saxony there were formerly, in addition
to the doctors who had taken degrees and had been
educated at the university of Leipzig, medicinae practici,
surgeons, and accoucheurs, who received instruction at the
Medico-Chirurgical Academy of Dresden, a society which
arose out of the Collegium Medico-Chirurgicum in 1815
and endured until 1864. The medicinae practici were an
inferior class of doctors for internal diseases, and had a
right of settling down only in very closely circumscribed
areas. The surgeons were allowed to practise surgery
anywhere, but midwifery only if they had passed the prescribed
examination. The medicinae practici could get a
license to engage in surgical and obstetric practice on
passing examinations in these departments of medical
science.
Anyone after finishing his studies at the gymnasium and
entering the university for the purpose of studying medicine,
could after two years present himself for the examination
for the degree of Bachelor, which nearly corresponded
to the tentamen physicum of to-day ; he could then at the
conclusion of his studies submit to the "approbation"
examination held by the medical faculty and leading to the
doctor's degree; the latter examination embraced all the
most important subjects which had been taught and made
pretty high claims upon the candidate's knowledge.
In the Saxon duchies there used formerly to be Stateexaminations
which were held by examination commissioners.
in the chief towns of the different countries.
It was not until 1862 that Weimar, Coburg-Gotha and
Altenburg agreed to hand over all business connected with
examinations to the medical faculty of Jena. The qualifying
examination embraced the most important branches of
medical science, was associated with practical work,
clinical demonstrations, etc., and concluded with the con-